Wolfstime
by Blousey
Summary: Red Beauty, with romantic implications. Spoilers for 2x07, Child of the Moon. Belle wants to know what has Ruby so worked up.


A/N: Set during Child of the Moon, between talking to Billy and locking Ruby in the freezer.

* * *

"Care to tell me why you're so tense?" Belle's eyes followed Ruby's form as it paced back and forth, the girl's feet threatening to wear down the remains of Granny's already thin carpeting.

Ruby trapped her lip between her teeth as she moved, rounding on Belle at her questioning. "I'm not tense! I'm just... thinking."

Belle involuntarily flinched at the bite in the other girl's tone. "Ruby, I want to help. I don't know what's going on, but everyone else seems to, and I want to understand, too." Belle had been stuck inside a town she had never seen for 28 years, not knowing anything more than a few faces that were of no meaning to her. Now, she was out; she was free, yet she was still as in the dark as before.

"Then go ask _them_!" Ruby growled, gesturing towards the town through the open window.

Belle didn't flinch this time. She assessed Ruby's mood carefully and settled on attempting not to further irritate her. Cautiously, Belle approached, placing her hands on Ruby's shoulders in a nonaggressive gesture. "I want to hear it from _you_."

Ruby raised her eyes to meet Belle's, pupils contracting as she began to look more human and less like a terrified animal. She took a shuddering breath, steadied by Belle's comforting touch, and then stepped backwards. She sat on the bed in her room at Granny's, dropping her hands into her lap. People generally didn't ask to hear the truth straight from her. She wasn't used to someone not jumping to conclusions about her or believing all the hearsay that she was conveniently the last to know about. It was... different, but not entirely unwelcome. Just a learning experience.

"Okay," she breathed at last.

"Okay," Belle repeated, following suit and sitting cross-legged on the bed, facing Ruby.

Ruby seemed to be stalling as she fiddled with her jeans, her fingertips, the sheets, nearly anything that would distract her so she could avoid having a conversation. She shook her head decisively. "I don't think I can do this."

"Ruby, I don't—"

"No!" She exclaimed, standing up abruptly. "I can't—I _won't_ allow you to get hurt, Belle. I won't do it."

"Then just let me in so I can help! It's _my_ decision what I get involved in, not yours," Belle challenged, failing at stamping out the feeling of anger that flared in her. She was so sick and tired of everyone telling her what to do. It was time someone consulted her before dismissing her say in the matter.

"But it's up to _me_ whether I tell you or not," Ruby gritted out. She didn't understand Belle's adamance in having a part in the jumbled mess that was Ruby's life. It wasn't Ruby's intention to make the girl feel insufficient—she was simply going on instinct. Time was ticking, the moon was rising higher in the sky, and she needed to protect what was hers. Ruby cricked her neck, correcting herself. Not what was hers—Belle, the town, they weren't hers... but Belle was her friend. There was no time for semantics. Ruby was set on protecting those she cared about, and Belle was lumped into that category whether she liked it or not.

"Fine. Then don't expect me to stay put," Belle shot back. If Ruby refused to fill her in on what she gathered was some sort of danger, why should she have any reason to shut herself up for the night? She'd had more than her fair share of solitude lately.

Ruby lowered her gaze and sunk back down onto the bed without arguing her point further. The bed dipped with her weight, the quiet bouncing of the springs under her the only noise in the room. The girl looked out the window briefly, body rigid in reaction to what she saw. "It's almost time," she muttered. She quickly ran a hand through her hair, thinking over her options. She either had to risk telling Belle and having fear drive her away or accept the threat she would pose to Belle if she continued to withhold the truth. Or maybe there was another way. But what? Her eyes darted across the night sky as she contemplated how to circumvent sharing her story. Perhaps she could have her cake and eat it, too. Everyone would be safe if such a balance was achievable.

Belle simply watched Ruby's face contort as her mind sped through the circumstances and whatever else was distracting her. Belle, however, refused to push anymore. She got the feeling that Ruby felt confined in Storybrooke, tied to a town and life that she couldn't leave even if she wanted to, and Belle's similar past allowed her to respect that Ruby was the ultimate deciding factor here. It was her story to tell, not someone else's.

Ruby made eye contact with Belle for a moment, and Belle tilted her head in curiosity, unable to decipher the look Ruby was giving her but trying to puzzle it out nonetheless. She leaned her head towards Ruby expectantly, causing the other girl to exhale noisily in response. Ruby's eyes watered as she gulped, hoping to evade Belle's gaze by lifting her eyes to the ceiling instead. Her faith was slipping, breaking her down and making her want to collapse in on herself. Belle reached out to rest a hand on Ruby's knee, caring for the girl but sticking to her resolve to let Ruby adjust to a pace that was comfortable for her, even if that meant nothing would come of it.

"I just don't want to scare you off," Ruby voiced with a clench of her jaw, composing herself.

"Ruby. Trust me when I say that you couldn't do that if you tried. I'm afraid you're rather stuck with me at this point," Belle teased, hoping to lighten the mood a bit.

Ruby's mouth quirked up in a small half-smile but she shook her head, not believing Belle would actually stick around once she knew how perilous it would be to be involved with a monster. Still, a small fire seemed to light in her as a result of Belle's assurance. The small flicker of hope encouraged her to consider taking a leap of faith.

The curse was broken now, and not everyone was as innocent as they claimed to be. Many had dark pasts they wanted to conceal, and Ruby was no different. Although she wasn't lucky enough to have more of a chance to digest her predicament and subsequent courses of action, she had the opportunity now. She was teetering on the edge of a cliff that held only uncertainty at the bottom. All that was left was to do was jump.

Ruby snuck a glance at Belle sitting patiently on the bed despite Ruby's fervent efforts to deny her, to shove her out of harm's way, out of the way of the wolf that ran rampant inside Ruby. Her feats of independence accomplished nothing., as Belle was just as insistent on remaining a solid and true companion. She was both a blessing and a curse, a reprieve and a temptation. She mended Ruby's internal wounds while inadvertently baiting her to slip up and reveal her identity. A confession that would surely rip from Ruby the only soul that could comfort her own.

But would it? Ruby's thoughts rattled around in her mind. Belle had yet to run; even now, when Ruby was nearly ordering her to stay out of it, Belle remained. She was a strong girl, stronger than she was likely given credit for. And trustworthy. Transparent enough for Ruby to be convinced that Belle had no ulterior motives. Something lingered there that Belle kept hidden, but she was certainly pure of heart. Her character was genuine and her eyes sparkled with sincerity. Was it possible that harboring an unpredictable beast inside wouldn't make the beauty before her run for the hills after all?

Ruby closed her eyes, settling into her newfound determination to let Belle in on her ordeal. "...I'm a wolf."

Belle paused to marinate on that before nodding understandably. A wolf was hardly a farfetched idea. All of Storybrooke's inhabitants were allegedly from the same world as Belle was, and she had hardly had the chance to traverse the entirety of it when she resided there. What were the odds that a human-wolf didn't exist somewhere out there? The girl took a long look at Ruby with the newly absorbed information in mind and smiled broadly.

"Okay," Belle announced, thrilled that Ruby had confided in her. She was intrigued, but not the least bit repulsed by the idea. In fact, she found it enticing.

"That's it?" Ruby asked, raising her eyebrows in disbelief.

"What do you mean?"

"No gasp, no scream? No running out the door in fear for your life?" Ruby was flabbergasted, waiting for the pinch that would wake her up. She had to be dreaming.

"No," she affirmed. Belle scooted closer to Ruby on the bed, testing the waters as she inched towards Ruby's face, seeing how much was Ruby was comfortable with. She stopped mere inches from Ruby's face, Belle's breath tickling the other girl's lips. She was searching Ruby's eyes thoroughly when she noticed a slight shake in the girl's frame. Belle thought Ruby's stiffness peculiar but resumed her activity, pulling away once satisfied with what she found. Quickly after Belle was out of Ruby's personal space, Ruby let out a large breath that Belle happened to catch.

"What was that about?" Belle asked out of curiosity.

"What was what about?" Ruby tucked her hair behind her ear, honestly not sure what Belle was referring to.

"The, uhm..." Belle made a show of breathing out dramatically and loudly, inciting a giggle from Ruby.

"That," Ruby began, "was because of you, if you must know."

"Me?"

Ruby nodded, pointing to herself as she spoke. "Wolf. Wolf senses. Including a keen sense of smell."

At first, Belle wrinkled her nose, seemingly offended. Did she give off an unpleasant odor? Fighting the urge to sniff her armpits, she hardened her gaze in hopes of receiving an explanation, even if she expected the worst.

To Belle's surprise, Ruby let out a short laugh. "Not like that, Belle. Your scent is... heady." She took a deep breath in to demonstrate, eyes flashing as she inhaled Belle's particular scent. "Wolfstime is when the full moon rises in the sky, and it tends to heighten my senses." Ruby paused as she debated her next words. "I'm not exactly known for being predictable during such times." She pursed her lips.

"You held your breath so you wouldn't have to smell me?"

Ruby nodded.

"I'm not sure whether I should take that as a compliment or not," Belle mused teasingly, though she _was_ actually kind of confused.

"A compliment," Ruby was quick to assert. She reminded herself to slow down; Belle was new to, well, everything. "That is most definitely a compliment." She pondered how to explain that. "Let me put it this way: I don't feel the need to block out someone's scent very often. Only when there's a strong attract—" Ruby cut herself off, raising a pointed finger. "You know what? Never mind." She offered a somewhat apologetic smile as she redirected the topic of conversation. "Wolfstime is priority right now."

Belle smiled at the unfinished implication in Ruby's words, delighting in the barely-there blush tinting Ruby's cheeks. "Right," she drawled, informing Ruby that her message hadn't gone unnoticed. "Now, during this Wolfstime, you...?"

"Turn into a wolf?" Ruby finished.

Belle nodded.

"Yes. Which is why it's _imperative_ that I remain caged the entire night," she maintained, fingers twitching from pent-up energy. She always got jumpy around Wolfstime. It was an unfortunate side effect, made her a little paranoid really, but there was no contest when compared to what Wolfstime did to her sex drive. She had never had to sit through arousal levels as high as what they were right now. Ruby wisely decided against imparting that bit to Belle. They hadn't the time for that as it was, not that—no, Ruby. She blinked twice, refocusing her mind on the issue at hand.

"There must be another way..." Belle's eyes seemed to plead with the girl. Belle knew all too well what being caged felt like. It was damaging. It made her feel powerless and incompetent. No knowledge could aid a woman trapped in a room with only herself for company. Control was stripped away, and Belle had observed how Ruby lacked control in her life, despite needing it like she needed air.

"There's not!" Ruby snapped as she felt her fate loom over her, promising to break her. Belle was unfazed by the retort, aiming to not give Ruby reasons to be any more concerned than she already was.

This time Ruby spoke of her own accord, divulging new secrets with less of the earlier confliction. "My cloak keeps me from turning, but this," she stuttered, "this is the first Wolfstime since the curse was broken, and I never needed it in Storybrooke b-because of the curse, but now," Ruby lamented, a child who was beginning to spiral out with nothing to depend on, "now, when I need it I can't find it, and I honestly don't even think it made it to Storybrooke and I don't—I don't know how I'm going to—" And that was when Belle reached out and pulled Ruby towards her, wrapping her in a tight embrace. Belle conveyed through her grasp that a Ruby devoid of control could depend on Belle to be that consistency she so desperately yearned for.

"Shhh. Everything is going to be fine," Belle murmured, stroking the girl's hair and whispering soft words into her ear.

Ruby soon calmed down enough to regain some semblance of authority over herself, and she clung to Belle, eternally grateful for the unexpected hug. Ruby felt her eyes flash behind her closed eyelids as her nostrils were invaded by Belle's aroma. This was definitely new. Not even Peter had made her feel so whole. Ruby's fists tightened their grip on the back of Belle's dress, unwilling to release her. Perhaps it was because she was cognizant of the wolf inside of her now, the one currently sated with Belle so close.

Eventually, Belle gently untangled Ruby from her, smiling triumphantly at Ruby's visible ease. That was when she realized that Ruby's eyes were glowing, her gaze fixed on Belle. A wicked smile overtook Ruby's features. Belle wasn't entirely sure what was going on inside of Ruby—she had never met a human-wolf before—but she wasn't scared. It was still Ruby in there, and Belle couldn't find it in her to fear anything about the girl, not even her more animalistic nature.

Then the eyes flashed back, and they appeared to be bordering on slightly terrified as Ruby regained her senses. Belle attempted to touch the girl again, but Ruby instantly recoiled.

"Did I do something wrong?" Belle momentarily wondered if she had crossed some invisible boundary or committed some kind of faux pas she wasn't aware of. This new world could be such a doozy, and she was still getting the hang of how things worked.

"No, no," Ruby assured her as she took a few precautionary steps backwards. "I-It's me." Ruby flushed as she squeaked, "I almost..." Trailing off, she shook her head. "Not important. Listen, you stayed with me, and I don't know why, but right now, I _need_ that in my life." Ruby thought of what lied ahead of her and mentally hoped that Belle would hear her out. Her request wasn't fair, but it was all Ruby could think of to save Belle from her wolf. "I want you to do me a favor, Belle, and stayed inside tonight. Chances are the freezer will work and it'll hold my wolf, but there is no way to guarantee something like that, and I will _not_ risk losing you."

"Ruby, you won't—"

Ruby let out a strangled cry. "Belle, I've killed before, and I'll do it again." Ruby deflated as she regulated her breathing, absolutely defeated. She looked directly into Belle's eyes and made her last appeal. "Please."

Belle was all too aware that she saw more in Ruby than even she herself could, and though it tugged on Belle's heartstrings to think that Ruby possessed such a warped image of herself, she could tell that her compliance was crucial to Ruby's mental stability. She could sympathize with the battle to maintain sanity in situations of extreme distress. And so Belle acquiesced. "Okay."

Ruby's shoulders relaxed, her expression screaming relief. "Oh thank goodness," she breathed.

With her mind put at ease for the present moment, Ruby turned to leave, but Belle caught her by the wrist and drew her forward until their bodies pressed together. Belle's face was grave. She cupped Ruby's face in her hands and Ruby submissively bowed her head, allowing Belle to close her eyes and place a kiss on Ruby's forehead. Belle slowly opened her eyes to meet Ruby's, still holding the girl's face tenderly between her hands. Everything was going to be okay. Belle had to believe in that, had to believe in Ruby. She lightly brushed a thumb across Ruby's cheek as she whispered. "Be safe."

Ruby suppressed the contented sigh of her wolf, feeling more at peace with herself than she could recall being in a long time. Belle's hands fell away from Ruby's face, and Ruby smiled softly at the girl who had proved she would stand by her side. Ruby grasped Belle's hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze as she whispered back. "I will be."


End file.
